Wednesday, September 21, 2016

"FRANCHISE RANKING: The STAR TREK Movies"

Below is my ranking of the eleven "STAR TREK" movies from my favorite to my least favorite. The movies featured characters from "STAR TREK" (19666-1969) series and "STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION" (1987-1994):

FRANCHISE RANKING: The "STAR TREK" Movies

1. "Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home" (1986) - Even after so many years, I am still in love with this time travel tale in which the senior officers of the U.S.S. Enterprise go back in time to find a humpback whale, bring it back to 23rd century San Francisco and save the Alpha Quadrant. Leonard Nimoy directed and he co-starred with William Shatner and Catherine Hicks.

2. "Star Trek: First Contact" (1996) - Here is another time travel story that is a major favorite of mine. Captain Jean-Luc Picard and the crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise-E go back to mid-21st Earth to prevent the Borg from conquering it. Director Jonathan Frakes also co-starred with Patrick Stewart, Alfrie Woodward, Alice Kriege and James Cromwell.

3. "Star Trek III: The Search for Spock" (1984) - Following Spock's death in "The Wrath of Khan", Kirk and his fellow senior officers steal the U.S.S. Enterprise and return to the planet Genesis in order to find Spock's body and bond it with the half-Vulcan's essence, which is inside Leonard McCoy's body. Directed by Leonard Nimoy, the movie starred William Shatner, DeForest Kelley and Christopher Lloyd.

4. "Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan" (1982) - James Kirk and his crew are reunited with an old foe from twenty years earlier, the genetically engineered Khan Noonien Singh. Directed by Nicholas Meyer, the movie starred William Shatner, Leonard McCoy, Ricardo Montalban, Kirstie Alley and Paul Winfield.

5. "Star Trek Beyond" (2016) - The U.S.S. Enterprise crew is drawn to a desolate planet and a new enemy with a personal grudge against the Federation. Directed by Justin Lin, the movie stars Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto and Elba Idris.

6. "Star Trek: Generations" (1994) - In this first movie to feature the "NEXT GENERATION" crew; Picard, with the help of supposedly dead James T. Kirk, must stop a madman willing to murder on a planetary scale in order to enter a space matrix. David Carson directed Patrick Stewart, Malcolm McDowell and William Shatner.

7. "Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country" (1991) - Kirk and the crew of the Enterprise must stop a plot to prevent a peace treaty between the Klingon Empire and the Federation. Directed by Nicholas Meyer, the movie starred William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, Christopher Plummer, David Warner, Kim Cattrall and Brock Peters.

8. "Star Trek Into Darkness" (2013) - After the crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise find an unstoppable force of terror from within the Federation, Captain James Kirk leads a manhunt to a war-zone world to capture a one-man weapon of mass destruction. Directed by J.J. Abrams, the movie starred Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto and Benedict Cumberbatch.

9. "Star Trek: Insurrection" (1998) - When Picard and the crew of the Enterprise-E learn of a Federation plot against the inhabitants of a unique planet, they begin an open rebellion. Director Jonathan Frakes co-starred with Patrick Stewart, Donna Murphy and F. Murray Abraham.

10. "Star Trek" (2009) - Directed by J.J. Abrams, this reboot follows a young James T. Kirk and Spock, before they unite aboard the USS Enterprise to combat a Romulan from their future who threatens the United Federation of Planets. Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Eric Bana, Zoë Saldaña and Bruce Greenwood. The quality of the "TREK" films begin to waver around this point.

11. "Star Trek: Nemesis" (2002) - After the Enterprise-E is diverted to the Romulan planet of Romulus, supposedly because they want to negotiate a truce, the Federation soon find out the Romulans are planning an attack on Earth. Directed by Stuart Baird, the movie starred Patrick Stewart, Jonathan Frakes, Brent Spinner, Tom Hardy and Ron Perlman.

13. "Star Trek: The Motion Picture" (1979) - In this lackluster tale, a mysterious and immensely powerful alien cloud called V'ger approaches Earth, destroying everything in its path and Admiral James T. Kirk assumes command of his old starship—the U.S.S. Enterprise to lead it on a mission to save the planet and determine V'ger's origins. Directed by Robert Wise, William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, Persis Khambatta and Stephen Collins co-starred.

13. "Star Trek V: The Final Frontier" (1989) - In what I consider to be the worst "TREK" movie ever, Kirk and his crew must deal with Mr. Spock's half-brother, who hijacks the Enterprise-A for an obsessive search for God. Director William Shatner co-starred with Leonard Nimoy, DeForest Kelley, David Warner and Laurence Luckinbill.